Frag tank algae issues

[KingAlee]

Alrighty, I think this is Dino’s (stringy with bubbles)… just want a confirmation and yes there’s also GHA. This is my frag tanks that are setup and this is THREE DAYS of us gone the weekend and came back!

I’m having issues fighting nitrates from bottoming out (from 35ppm to 0 in five days). My setup right bot is 12 hours of lights and my parameters are:

Salinity - 1.026
Phos - 0.05
Nitrates - 0.0
Calc - only one I haven’t done yet
Mag - 1245
Alk - 8.6

My second question is… what can I do to help this? I’m thinking I don’t have enough live rock in the sump. Flow is great, like I said light schedule is 12 hours and I’m having to dose nitrates.

Background info on setup:

(3) 50 gallon tanks linked together with 1.5” bulkheads. Middle one has the return, outsides have the drains. All are connected to one sump (Pro Clear Aquatic Systems Redflex Reef Sump 300). In the sump I have the large in-sump algae scrubber from icecap (just started it last Thursday so no algae on it yet) and there is live rock within it.

The lights are all XR30s (older gen on the outside tanks). Outside tanks have (2) spaced out evenly while the middle tank has (3) spaced out evenly for SPS. They run a 12hour period with a peak with cool whites but mainly blue.

The flow is (2) SLW-30s on the middle tank with the SPS. Out side tanks (left) has a gyre under the racks with (2) SLW-10/20 on it (this tank is gonis/alveaporas, Duncan’s, acanthos, galaxia and favias) . The right tank has an SCP-150 pointed under racks with (2) Nero 3s above (this tank is hammers, torches, and zoas/mushrooms).

I know a main issue is letting the nitrates bottom out (currently dialing it in and fixing that). Would that be the only issue? Or is it not enough rock? Or what would you guys think?
Both outside tanks look identical to the middle one but the middle one was the worst (pictured)!

 

[TX_REEF]

I'd want to be doing some water changes and adding cleanup crew. I have astrea snails, an urchin and a kole tang in my low boy tank. Low nitrate is likely only appearing because high levels are being consumed by the algae. How about lighting? perhaps you can tone it down a bit. I'd also ramp up the flow as much as your corals can tolerate to prevent detritus settling.

I often get algae growth on my racks as well, I just have twice as many racks as I need and swap them out a few times a year to nuke the algae off the used ones. Bubble algae tends yo build up in my system, the cleanup crew doesn't help against that because I don't much like crabs in my frag system.

 

[Euphyllia97]

I see more than dino’s. Which actually means that your nutrients are all being used by the algae that is growing in your tank. This does not mean you have a low nutrient system.

I would focus on removal of the algae. Manual siphoning, clean up crew, a grazing fish. Would also decrease your light intensity/schedule for the time being :)

 

[Kooma]

Also worth mentioning that more rock will increase nitrate loss with anaerobic bacteria in 3-6 months if you add more rock. If you don’t have much for fish, you shouldn’t need much of any rock for a frag system.

 

[Euphyllia97]

Also worth mentioning that more rock will increase nitrate loss with anaerobic bacteria in 3-6 months if you add more rock. If you don’t have much for fish, you shouldn’t need much of any rock for a frag system.

I Don’t completely agree on this. A lot of debate about the real effect of anaerobic bacteria converting nitrates to nitrogen gas in our home reef tanks. 3-6 months doesn’t seem enough time for these types of bacteria to grow to a meaningful number.

Reason I mention this, is because I would think that adding some extra rock to this tank might be beneficial in the end.

- It provides a good breeding ground for microbiome and can help to improve biodiversity and stability in the tank. Which will have a positive impact on nuisance algae.

- I don’t think we are dealing with a tank that is suffering from low nutrients, but a high uptake by the algae causing the nitrates/phosphates in the water column to measure 0. So even though I don’t fully agree on this statement myself, more rock = more potential anaerobic bacteria.

- rock can act somewhat as a buffer with certain parameter swings.

Even If we consider that this is a ULNS with only dinoflagellates present, the best way to beat them is to improve biodiversity by adding pods/bacteria combined with silicate dosing . (who all benefit from rocks)

I believe with current evidence that these effects would be much greater than the conversion of nitrate into nitrogen gas through anaerobic bacteria